The Role of Leadership in Creating and Sustaining a...

The Role of Leadership in

Creating and Sustaining a

Problem-Solving Approach

to Policing: The History of Organizational

Transformation in the

Madison Police Department

by

Kristen Roman

Overview In the 1980s and early 1990s under Chief

David Couper, the Madison Police Depart-

ment (MPD) introduced and implemented

the concepts of Quality Policing and Qual-

ity Leadership. Rooted in the principles of

Total Quality Management (TQM), enact-

ing the Quality Policing philosophy created

one of the most significant organizational

changes in the MPD’s history. This paper

explores whether and to what extent the

Madison Police Department has integrated

and maintained the problem-solving princi-

ples embedded in Quality Policing during

the post-Couper era. It examines the chal-

lenges that existed in implementing the

principles of Quality Policing, Quality

Leadership, and Problem-Oriented Policing;

identifies organizational change issues and

obstacles the Department faced and contin-

The BJA Executive Session on Police

Leadership is a multi-year endeavor

started in 2010 with the goal of devel-

oping innovative thinking that would

help create police leaders uniquely

qualified to meet the challenges of a

changing public safety landscape.

In support of an integrated approach

to creating safe and viable communi-

ties across America, the project direc-

tors recruited 20+ principals from a

range of disciplines. The principals, in

turn, led national field teams of practi-

tioners focused on the work of policing

and the organization of the future.

To gain new insights on leadership, the

BJA Executive Session on Police Lead-

ership engaged police chiefs in docu-

menting their own paths and invited

leaders to participate in various audio

and video forums to tell their stories

and discuss the future of policing and

police leadership.

Please visit our website,

http://bjaleader.org, to learn more

about this project and to access a

broad array of interactive, multimedia

resources.

The principals are supported in their

work by a team that includes project

co-directors Darrel W. Stephens and

Bill Geller, project strategist Nancy

McKeon, and BJA Senior Policy Advi-

sor Steve Edwards.

2013

http://bjaleader.org/

Delivering Public Safety in the Organization of the Future: A Model

2

ues to face; and considers the role of leadership in creating and sustaining a problem-

solving approach to policing.1

MPD Quality Management: Two Decades of Change “Perhaps patience is the greatest challenge to traditionally trained leaders. Quality lead-

ership can be coached into place; it cannot be commanded into existence.” (Wycoff &

Skogan, 1993).

The following timetable highlights key changes implemented during Chief Couper’s 20-

year tenure and illustrates at a glance that change is, in fact, slow. During these two dec-

ades the organizational paradigm shift from traditional policing strategies to a commu-

nity-oriented approach created one of the most significant departmental changes in MPD

history and required consistent, competent, and creative leadership at all levels of the or-

ganization.

MPD Chief David Couper: 1972-1993

1972 Chief David Couper is appointed.

1973 Special Operations Section (SOS) is implemented to address conflicts arising from nu-

merous student protests.

1981 Chief Couper takes a 4-month leave of absence and returns to focus on internal depart-

mental problems.

1981 The Officers’ Advisory Council is established. Elected council members serve 2-year

terms, and provide direct feedback/recommendations to the Chief of Police. The Council

is given authority to determine particular outcomes related to officer equipment and other

issues that directly impact front-line officers.

1984 Committee on the Future of the Department is implemented to discuss the future of the

department, develop a mission statement, and provide a vision for the department.

1985 Neighborhood Patrol Bureau is established to “get closer to the people we serve.”

1986 The MPD Mission Statement is approved by the Management Team.

1986 The Experimental Police District (EPD) planning team begins to explore a “field labora-

tory” concept in order to test new policing concepts, structures, training, and leadership

styles.

1987 President of the police officers’ union is appointed to the EDP steering team, marking the

first time that management actively involves the union in major program development.

1987 The twelve “Principles of Quality Leadership” are codified to provide a framework for

supervisors and managers regarding a new leadership style.

(continued…)

1 Some facts and observations contained in this paper were informed by the author’s interviews of Chief

Noble Wray, Assistant Chief John Davenport, Assistant Chief Randy Gaber, Chief (ret.) David Couper,

Lieutenant (ret.) Steve Sheets, Professor Herman Goldstein, and former MPD officer Michael Scott in

2011-2012.


3

1987 Chief Couper issues a memo to all personnel in which he states:

“I strongly believe that if we are to ‘practice what we preach’ in our Mission Statement

(e.g., teamwork, respect, problem-solving, openness, sensitive and community-oriented

policing) to achieve excellence in policing, and provide leadership to the police profes-

sion, we will have to alter the way in which we lead. We must adjust and adapt to the

needs of our employees in the workplace and the community we serve. In order to lead

effectively, tomorrow’s supervisors and managers, in addition to being totally committed

to the Mission of the organization, will have to be able to work in a team, be a coach, ac-

cept feedback, ask and listen to others in the team, and facilitate their employees’ input

and growth in the workplace.”

1987 MPD Management Team receives seven days of Quality Leadership training.

1987 Citizen surveys are distributed to obtain feedback regarding police service and gauge cus-

tomer satisfaction.

1987 With funding from the National Institute of Justice, Police Foundation researcher Mary

Ann Wycoff embarks on a 3-year study to document and evaluate the implementation of

the EPD; in particular, the study would examine the impact of these departmental

changes on officers’ attitudes and citizens’ perceptions regarding police services.

1988 The EPD moves from planning phases to full implementation and practice.

1988 60 police supervisors and managers complete Quality Leadership training.

1988 The plan to “decentralize” field operations by 1990 is announced.

1989 By this year, all 380 employees, civilian and commissioned, have completed training in

Quality Leadership.

1989 The MPD union president joins the Management Team.

1990 The Experimental Police District (EPD) officially becomes the South Police District

(SPD) – the first of five physically decentralized district stations.

1990 “Centralized” decentralization is established, restructuring operations into five separate

districts, with plans developing to physically decentralize each district over a number of

years.

1993 Chief Couper retires.

Chief Couper believed that the problem-solving philosophies at the heart of community-

oriented policing must first be embraced and employed within the organization before

they could be successfully practiced in the community. This concept of transformation

from within the organization was an essential principle in Couper’s policing philosophy

and was a significant departure from the approach taken by many other police agencies at

the time, which emphasized changing external relationships with the community and with

other organizations in order to then change internal relationships.

Couper’s policing ideology was profoundly informed by Herman Goldstein’s problem-

oriented policing theories and Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s Total Quality Management

framework, both of which Couper sought to integrate into the MPD’s service approach.

To further explore the role of leadership in creating and sustaining a problem-oriented

policing approach and transformation from within, it is necessary to understand the basic

tenets of the Quality Leadership philosophy to which Chief Couper subscribed and in

which his leadership was grounded.


4

Quality Leadership: Theory and Practice “…if we are to try new ideas, we need to first develop a supportive leadership style; oth-

erwise, it’s analogous to planting a seed with tremendous potential in an unprepared sur-

face, expecting it to grow. Growth will be short-lived but eventually community policing

will not survive.” (Masterson, 1992).

As retired MPD Captain Mike Masterson noted, quality policing requires quality leader-

ship. Without a support system firmly in place to cultivate innovation and nourish poten-

tial, the quality community-oriented services police strive to provide will not flourish.

Tilling the organizational soil, as it were, is not easy work. Creating fertile ground in-

volves uprooting old plantings – ideas and approaches from which we have harvested all

that we can – to make room for new ideas and different perspectives. This does not mean

losing sight of the past entirely. Instead, the past is turned over to provide rich compost

for the next generation of plantings. In essence, the principles of Quality Leadership are

rooted in the understanding that a healthy garden, organization, or community requires a

shared, durable vision; collaborative stewardship over the years things take to grow natu-

rally; and variety to match the fertility of the setting with the nurturing the new plantings

require.

Drawing from the Total Quality Movement (TQM) that began to take hold in the United

States’ private sector during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Quality Leadership integrates

the ideas of quality management to create what Couper & Lobitz (1991) referred to as the

“new leadership style.” This new style required moving from the traditional militaris-

tic/hierarchical style of police leadership to “participatory management.” Couper & Lo-

bitz (1991, p. 7) argued: “The authoritarian model of police leadership is a very attractive

one. It has order, simplicity, and predictability. The problem with this style of leadership

is that it neglects everything we know about people and their behavior.” Instead of super-

visors issuing orders to control subordinates, supervisors in the Quality Leadership model

actively solicit input and feedback. They facilitate discussion, provide direction as

needed, and help to develop the skills and abilities of those they supervise. Quality lead-

ers take on the roles of coaches and teachers to create an atmosphere in which employees

feel supported and encouraged to take risks and test new ideas. Extending these principles

outside the organization, quality management considers citizens as customers and focuses

on systems improvements through the use of quantitative methods and analysis. Taking

measured risks, exploring new ideas, utilizing quantitative methods to improve systems –

all are necessary ingredients for a problem-solving approach.

In describing their views on leadership, Couper & Lobitz (1991) noted a distinction be-

tween management and leadership. They argued that leadership is more active – it in-

volves doing — whereas management involves monitoring from more of a removed posi-

tion. With this idea of leadership as active engagement in mind, through discussions with

the MPD management team and others, Couper developed 12 guiding principles for MPD

supervisors and managers, which were aptly called “The Principles of Quality Leader-

ship.” These principles codified the “new leadership” doctrines that informed many of

MPD’s organizational transformations during the first 15 years of Couper’s leadership.

After their codification and dissemination in 1987, the “Principles of Quality Leadership”

became fully integrated into the operating philosophy of the department in the last five


5

years of Couper’s tenure (1988-1993), and in many ways helped to secure the future of a

problem-oriented approach to policing in the Madison Police Department.

“Principles of Quality Leadership” (Couper & Lobitz, 1991)

1. Believe in, foster, and support teamwork.

2. Be committed to the problem-solving process.

3. Seek employees’ input before you make key decisions.

4. Ask and listen to employees who are doing the work.

5. Strive to develop mutual respect and trust among employees.

6. Have a customer orientation and focus toward employees and citizens.

7. Manage on the behavior of 95 percent of employees and not on the 5 percent who

cause problems.

8. Improve systems and examine processes before placing blame on people.

9. Avoid “top-down,” power-oriented decision-making.

10. Encourage creativity through risk-taking and be tolerant of honest mistakes.

11. Be a facilitator and coach. Develop an open atmosphere that encourages providing

and accepting feedback.

12. With teamwork, develop with employees agreed upon goals and a plan to achieve

them.

Quality Leadership and Problem-Oriented Policing “…In order to move forward with community-oriented policing, we must change the way

in which we organize and lead our employees…. [W]ithout careful preparation of the or-

ganization by using the Quality Leadership style, community-oriented policing will falter

and eventually fail.” (Couper, 1991)

Couper & Lobitz (1991, p. 20) believed that institutionalizing community-oriented polic-

ing required three essential steps. The first step, they wrote, involves establishing a vi-

sion: “One of the most important tasks of a leader is to declare the vision; a clear, under-

standable, picture of the future.” The next step is to cultivate quality leadership through-

out the organization. An important theme in the Quality Leadership philosophy is that

leadership is not solely the responsibility of supervisors and managers. Quality Leader-

ship emphasizes the importance of leadership at all levels of the organization, thus em-

powering employees to make valuable individual and collective contributions both inside

the organization and as public servants in the community. The last step toward realizing

effective community policing is to implement a problem-oriented approach. When exam-

ined side-by-side, the elements of problem-oriented policing developed by Goldstein

(1979) mirror several concepts within Couper’s “Principles of Quality Leadership” as

well as demonstrate that transformation from within and from outside the organization

are interdependent. These separate but related change methods intersect around under-

standing the importance of empowering individual officers to provide input, identify

problems, build trust, improve systems, encourage creativity, and make key decisions.

The application of these ideas is relevant both internally (Quality Leadership) and exter-

nally (Problem-Oriented Policing).


6

Key Elements of Problem-Oriented Policing

(Scott and Goldstein, 1988)

1. A problem is the basic unit of police work rather than a crime, a case, calls, or inci-

dents.

2. A problem is something that concerns or causes harm to citizens, not just the police.

Things that concern only police officers are important, but they are not problems in

this sense of the term.

3. Addressing problems means more than quick fixes: it means dealing with conditions

that create problems.

4. Police officers must routinely and systematically analyze problems before trying to

solve them, just as they routinely and systematically investigate crimes before making

an arrest. Individual officers and the department as a whole must develop routines and

systems for analyzing problems.

5. The analysis of problems must be thorough even though it may not need to be com-

plicated. This principle is as true for problem analysis as it is for criminal investiga-

tion.

6. Problems must be described precisely and accurately and broken down into specific

aspects of each problem. Problems often aren’t what they first appear to be.

7. Problems must be understood in terms of the various interests at stake. Individuals

and groups of people are affected in different ways by a problem and have different

ideas about what should be done about the problems.

8. The way the problem is currently being handled must be understood and the limits of

effectiveness must be openly acknowledged in order to come up with a better re-

sponse.

9. Initially, any and all possible responses to a problem should be considered so as not to

cut short potentially effective responses. Suggested responses should follow from

what is learned during the analysis. They should not be limited to, nor rule out, the

use of arrest.

10. The police must pro-actively try to solve problems rather than just react to the harm-

ful consequences of problems.

11. The police department must increase police officers’ freedom to make or participate

in important decisions. At the same time, officers must be accountable for their deci-

sion-making.

12. The effectiveness of new responses must be evaluated so these results can be shared

with other police officers and so the department can systematically learn what does

and does not work.

Without departmental systems in place to support community policing, problem-solving

efforts will be limited and sporadic at best. Moreover, for problem-oriented policing to

become an operational standard within an organization, quality leadership and processes

for continuous improvement must be firmly established. Because problem-oriented polic-

ing requires freedom to explore a broad range of potential solutions, the organizational

culture must not only tolerate or accept a problem-oriented approach, but must actively

promote and facilitate it. This is what leaders in the Quality Leadership model strive to

accomplish. Goldstein (1990, p. 154) noted: “Just as there is need on the part of all lead-

ership within an agency for commitment to a set of basic values about policing, so there

is need for a strong commitment to all that is entailed in problem-oriented policing.” He


7

further observed that commitment to problem-oriented policing involves a departure from

traditional policing strategies and redefines the relationship between leadership and the

rank and file. This “new leadership” style to which Couper (1991) and Goldstein (1990)

referred requires leaders to be flexible and to afford officers greater freedom to explore

alternative approaches, make decisions, and to invite and engage in open communication.

The integration of TQM and POP principles for which Couper strived in his own leader-

ship is an excellent example of the ways in which ideas shape individuals, and individu-

als, in turn, shape organizations.

Organizational Change Obstacles: Resistance, Lack of Vision,

and the Absence of Effective Leadership “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” (Quote widely attributed to

management guru, W. Edwards Deming, though of uncertain origin.)

In speaking with numerous current and former members of the Madison Police Depart-

ment who served under Couper’s leadership, as well as his successor, Chief Richard Wil-

liams, it is clear that many organizational change obstacles confronted the chief and oth-

ers who practiced community-oriented policing through Quality Leadership. While many

of these challenges were successfully overcome, others were merely controlled enough so

that Quality Leadership could take hold, only then to become more pronounced chal-

lenges in the years that followed Couper’s retirement. In addition to the difficulties inher-

ent in breaking away from traditional perspectives within the law enforcement field as a

whole, Couper faced significant resistance from those in the department who did not

share his policing and leadership vision and held tightly to the safety of the status quo.

Goldstein (1990) observed that at the time Couper was attempting to transform the man-

agement philosophy in the Madison Police Department and to fully implement problem-

oriented policing, the professional field within which he was operating was largely preoc-

cupied with “means over ends.” According to Goldstein, “The field as a whole has sel-

dom taken a serious, inquiring, in-depth interest in the wide range of problems that con-

stitute its business, nor does it have a tradition of proceeding logically from knowledge

gained about a particular problem to the fashioning of an appropriate response” (p. 15). In

a profession with a traditional emphasis on reactive or call-driven police responses and a

focus on enforcement, arrests, and solving rather than preventing crimes, Couper’s efforts

to incorporate more proactive responses through the use of community-oriented policing

demanded radical changes.

Not surprisingly, many in the department resisted such a departure from the familiar

goals, structure, roles and procedures. Some merely questioned or doubted the efficacy of

community policing strategies, while others were openly critical and/or actively worked

to undermine Couper’s efforts to bring about organizational transformation. In Couper’s

earliest years, two separate camps emerged: The “A Team” consisted of those who sup-

ported or were believed by their peers to embrace Couper’s change efforts and the “B

Team” consisted of those who did not agree with Couper and held fast to the “old” ways

of doing business. New officers as well as employees at every rank were pressured in this

somewhat unstable organizational culture to declare their allegiance to either the “A


8

Team” or the “B Team.” The magnitude of the changes Couper was proposing at the time

cannot be overstated, and as such, a certain degree of resistance was to be expected.

Nowhere was this clash of ideologies more evident than in the impact that the Experi-

mental Police District (EPD) had on the organization as a whole. EPD implemented the

tenets of Quality Leadership and community-oriented policing and was, in essence, a

field laboratory in which the efficacy of new ideas for police operations and leadership

were tested. To many managers inside the department, EPD and its anti-establishment ap-

proach was tantamount to “the inmates running the asylum,” and at one point, EPD had

earned a reputation as a great place to work because it offered “free parking and no disci-

pline.” Having abandoned a strictly “top-down” style of management, EPD provided its

officers with opportunities to give input regarding their work, avenues to offer feedback

to supervisors, and an environment that encouraged a problem-solving approach to polic-

ing. Those who worked in the EPD model experienced firsthand the benefits of Quality

Leadership. Those who worked outside of the EPD framework were far more skeptical.

Wycoff and Skogan’s (1991) evaluation of the impact that an organizational shift toward

community policing had both internally and externally noted that non-EPD officers were

less likely to report that Quality Leadership had been successfully implemented within

the organization. Overall, their study showed that EPD officers felt more engaged with

co-workers, management and community members than did non-EPD officers. And with

respect to problem-solving, EPD personnel were more likely to report successes and sup-

port from the organization in their efforts than non-EPD officers. Despite the differences

in perception between EPD and non-EPD officers, Wycoff and Skogan concluded that in

the three-year period during which they examined MPD’s effort to bring about change in

the organization, not only was a new participatory management approach successfully

implemented in the EPD, but substantial progress had been made within the Department

as a whole toward the implementation of Quality Leadership.

While significant changes had been successfully implemented, philosophical divisions

among Couper’s top managers persisted during his last few years as chief. Certain man-

agers believed that accountability suffered under this new style of leadership, and that the

pendulum had swung too far toward a relaxed managerial approach. Building trust within

the department occurred incrementally, and as the earlier timetable highlighted organiza-

tional change was achieved slowly, one initiative at a time. While many within the de-

partment either immediately embraced Couper’s TQM/Quality Leadership philosophy or

were eventually “converted;” it is fair to say that a certain amount of attrition was neces-

sary in order to shift the balance significantly. Through concerted recruiting, hiring, and

promoting practices, Couper was able to build and re-build the department over time in

keeping with his vision of quality, community-oriented policing, and to promote leaders

to carry these same values forward.

Integration and Sustainability: Problem-Oriented Policing

Strategies and Leadership Practices in the Post-Couper Era “Change more often is a matter of skillfully taking advantage of opportunities than sys-

tematically executing a detailed plan.” (Goldstein, 1990)


9

When Chief Couper retired from the Madison Police Department in 1993, plans for de-

centralization were in motion, with the South Police District already in operation. The en-

tire department had been trained in the principles of Quality Leadership, and many organ-

izational procedures and systems had been restructured to support this new operating phi-

losophy. Officers hired in the last five years of Couper’s tenure were fully indoctrinated

in the Quality Leadership/TQM philosophy and were hired precisely because they pos-

sessed the abilities, skills, knowledge, experience, diversity, and ideological perspectives

(vision) necessary to promote Quality Policing, Quality Leadership, and community-ori-

ented policing. Yet despite a longstanding close personal and professional relationship

between Couper and Goldstein, and early experimental efforts to utilize a problem-ori-

ented approach in dealing with two major local problems (drunk driving and sex offend-

ers), there remained some disconnect between Quality Policing and Problem-Oriented

Policing as they were being practiced in the Department during Couper’s tenure. It was

not until 1997 that Department members received formal training in problem solving and

the SARA model. Interestingly, after nearly two decades of change from the inside out, a

complete transformation from a traditional policing approach to a problem-solving focus

had not been fully realized. In essence, after years of cultivation, planning, and soil prep-

aration, Couper had planted his garden, and devoted great care to implementing key sys-

tems to nurture it in the years ahead. How firmly rooted these new ideas were and

whether they would continue to grow or wither and die under the leadership of the next

chief, only time would tell.

Enter Chief Richard Williams. Many have posited that on his watch the MPD ship drifted

off course, and that many of the progressive ideas and practices implemented during

Couper’s era atrophied during the years that Williams was at the helm. Yet, in the 10

years that Williams served as chief of police (1994-2004), the North, West, and South

District stations were established, furthering the process of decentralization of police ser-

vices that Couper had begun. Whether because of his traditional policing roots or seeking

perhaps to create his own identity, Williams did not proselytize the Quality Leadership

philosophy. Even so, Williams did not actively stand in the way of those who practiced

Quality Leadership nor did he uproot systems grounded in a community-policing ap-

proach. Instead, Williams focused on the more pragmatic aspects of policing. He directed

the management team toward strategic planning, and secured new officers through fed-

eral COPS Office grants. More of a delegator than a visionary, to a certain extent Wil-

liams left his top managers to their own devices and did little to direct or interfere with

various initiatives they proposed. As such, several individuals who had risen through the

ranks and followed Couper’s philosophies of leadership were able to further his efforts in

the form of increased problem-solving strategies during Williams’ tenure. While Wil-

liams did little to further institutionalize a problem-solving approach to policing, at mini-

mum community-oriented systems that he’d inherited from his predecessor were sus-

tained.

By the time Williams retired in 2004, his management team consisted of captains and as-

sistant chiefs who had been hired by Couper and who were police officers, sergeants, and

detectives under Couper’s leadership. In this way, department leaders in the post-Couper

era were, in fact, Couper’s maturing and grown seedlings, nurtured in their earliest years


10

by the Quality Leadership philosophy. One of these seedlings was Noble Wray, who suc-

ceeded Williams as the next chief of police.

Essential Elements for Institutionalizing Problem-Oriented Po-

licing Within the Madison Police Department “You don’t embrace quality. You either are or you’re not.” (MPD Chief Noble Wray,

2011).

Arguably, through Quality Leadership Couper set in motion the philosophical underpin-

ning necessary to cultivate a community-oriented approach to policing, but the relation-

ship between community-oriented policing and problem solving was not made clear dur-

ing his tenure. As stated earlier, Department members did not receive formal problem-

oriented policing training until 1997 and even then it seemed that problem-oriented polic-

ing was something that only Neighborhood Officers practiced. As the Department’s des-

ignated community-policing officers, Neighborhood Officers worked in targeted neigh-

borhoods to cultivate relationships with area residents, neighborhood associations, and

other stakeholders in order to address identified problems through collaborative initia-

tives. These officers were not call-driven and were empowered to develop and implement

creative solutions to quality of life issues in their neighborhoods.

A recurring theme in discussions with former and current members of the Madison Police

Department who served under Chiefs Couper, Williams, and Wray is that Wray repre-

sented a necessary balance between the theoretical (Couper) and the practical (Williams).

What Wray brought to the table was both form and function, and while he was well

versed in the philosophies of Quality Leadership and community-oriented policing, he

also recognized the need for structure and both individual and systems accountability.

The language shifted from words like “quality” and “participatory management” to

“trust-based policing” and “360 feedback/leadership” yet the principles remain very

much the same – a testament, perhaps, to the resonance of the quality movement and to

the proven value of community-oriented policing.

From an historical perspective, it is evident that many key changes aimed at a problem-

solving approach to policing implemented by Couper remain today in the Madison Police

Department. Changes such as the Officer Advisory Council, Neighborhood Officers, de-

centralized services, and union input at management team meetings still exist today and

in many ways have been expanded. Today we have not only Neighborhood Officers but

Educational Resource Officers and District Community Policing Teams as well. Under

Wray’s leadership, we have not only the Officer Advisory Council, but the Civilian Advi-

sory Council and the Detective Advisory Council as well. While in many ways these ad-

visory councils provide a conduit for employees to offer input, thus advancing the respec-

tive interests of each council’s constituency, these internal discussions occur within the

context of a quality policing philosophy and ultimately consider how best to meet the

needs of the external customers whom we serve.

The MPD has grown rich in resources and has established an environmental/cultural cli-

mate that supports and encourages a problem-oriented approach. To support problem-

solving efforts, we now utilize crime analysts to help identify problems and facilitate


11

data-driven solutions. We have moved from viewing citizens as customers as in the

Couper era, to considering citizens as collaborators with a role to play in solving commu-

nity problems, including crime. Problem-solving initiatives of particular note that have

taken place under Wray’s leadership include:

the Downtown Safety Initiative, a high visibility saturation foot patrol effort

aimed at providing high visibility and significant citizen engagement to curb alco-

hol-related violence in the downtown entertainment district

Freakfest, the transformation of a largely alcohol-fueled student Halloween party

that brought with it dangerous large crowd behaviors such as criminal damage to

property and riotous violence aimed at police to a city-sponsored family event

verified response, MPD’s solution to false alarms

the Olin Park Project, a district effort that tackled a sensitive city park usage prob-

lem to create an environment that invited broader community utilization of the

park

the Mental Health Liaison Officer Program, an ongoing problem-solving initiative

that provides a specialized police response to persons with mental illness

the development of a Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to focus collaborative crim-

inal justice and community support efforts on the most severe repeat criminal of-

fenders

Rigorously implemented and successful policing initiatives such as these point to a solid

organizational foundation that supports a problem-oriented approach, a foundation that

was laid through years of quality leadership at all ranks within the organization.

In keeping with Couper’s emphasis on continuous improvement, there is more work to be

done in order to further facilitate a problem-solving approach to policing within the Mad-

ison Police Department. That said, looking back at the evolution of community-oriented

policing practices in the Madison Police Department, certain essential elements for insti-

tutionalizing problem-oriented policing emerge:

One of the most important changes that Couper initiated was to broaden the Department’s

recruiting and hiring efforts to attract women and minorities to the field of policing. In

addition to this emphasis on diversity, Couper valued education and sought to hire indi-

viduals with a post-high-school degree. As a result, department demographics began to

shift from a workforce comprising white males with a traditional police science or mili-

tary background to one that was more diverse not just in terms of sex and race, but in life

experiences and educational backgrounds as well. Current MPD demographics demon-

strate this ongoing commitment to diverse representation: Female officers are 30% of all

commissioned personnel and minority officers are 20%. The quality of service any

agency is able to provide starts with the quality of those hired. In the post-Couper era,

Recruitment Resources Environment Reinforcement


12

both chiefs Williams and Wray have maintained a commitment to recruiting and hiring

individuals that represent the diverse community we serve and who bring with them solid

communication and analytical skills necessary for problem-oriented policing. Williams

designated a full-time recruiting officer position housed in the Personnel and Training

Team to focus on promoting the Department and attracting high-quality, diverse appli-

cants. Wray continued these efforts, and to ensure this commitment to recruitment and

training, he placed these responsibilities in the hands of Sgt. Mike Koval. Koval, hired

around the same time as Wray was in the early 1980s, is both a product and champion of

Couper’s quality leadership and community policing philosophies that were set in motion

early in his career. Koval joined the department with a law degree and left MPD a few

years later to pursue a career with the FBI, only to return to the department having

learned that for him, MPD offered a more interesting and rewarding professional experi-

ence.

The Department has made good use of its resources dating back to 1973 when Couper

was hired. Since that time, our department has grown in numbers from 264 commis-

sioned and 60 non-commissioned personnel in 1973 to 462 commissioned and 111 non-

commissioned personnel in 2013 and has evolved to include a depth of service that now

includes several specialized work units such as Community Policing Teams, a Crime Pre-

vention and Gang Unit, K-9, Mounted Patrol, a Criminal Intelligence Section, a Drug

Task Force, and a Special Investigation Unit, to name a few. While it isn’t necessarily

true that more specialized units translates to increased or improved services, efficient use

of existing resources – which is often a goal of specialization – is in keeping with a prob-

lem-oriented approach and is arguably where the rubber meets the road with respect to

institutionalizing problem-oriented policing within an organization. Where Couper was

instrumental in paving the way for community policing and cultivating an internal focus

on quality leadership/policing, and Williams successfully preserved many of Couper’s in-

itiatives, it was under Wray’s leadership and vision that a problem-oriented approach

moved from theory to practice. Current specialized resources – many of which were im-

plemented by Wray – have helped to create an internal environment that allows for com-

missioned staff at all levels to engage in problem-oriented policing. These specialized re-

sources provide a toolbox of sorts that aids officers in identifying the scope of a particular

problem and helps them address the problem.

Having a variety of resources to engage in problem-oriented policing is of little use with-

out an environment – an internal culture – that supports this approach. Within his first

year as chief, Wray asserted his own vision of quality police service through establishing

a set of trust-based values that includes recognizing trust gaps, demanding ethical behav-

ior, employing a problem-solving philosophy to systems issues, emphasizing participa-

tion, engaging in a situational leadership style that is flexible and responsive, and em-

powering employees to carry out departmental goals. At the heart of Wray’s philosophy

was a commitment to building trust, and in so doing, creating an organizational culture

that draws on longstanding community policing practices to institutionalize a problem-

oriented approach to policing. The trust-building focus helps integrate community-ori-

ented policing and problem-oriented policing in the MPD. Developing and honing re-

sources to achieve this integration and striving to create and maintain an internal culture

to support these efforts is no small feat. And while MPD is certainly rich in resources


13

comparatively—with a well-educated and well-paid workforce, modern police facilities,

access to a world-class university, and a stable tax base that supports local government—

and the internal environment encourages officers to engage in problem-oriented policing,

the question remains: Has a problem-oriented mindset taken hold at all levels so that a

problem-oriented ethos is truly established?

Values of Trust-Based Policing

(Wray, 2004)

Trust Challenges

We must recognize that trust-gaps exit within some of the communities we serve. It is our

responsibility to participate in a dialogue that promotes collaborative relationship build-

ing to close those trust-gaps.

Ethical Behavior We understand that public trust is the foundation of our profession. We further recognize

that it is our responsibility to uphold the laws and ensure that justice is served. We are

committed to being consistently fair in the execution of these duties, while maintaining

the highest standards of integrity and honesty.

Problem Solving and Quality Focus

We must assure that our commitment to quality and continuous improvement shows

through the service that we provide to the community. This will be accomplished through

collaborative problem-solving models, and continuous evaluation of internal work sys-

tems.

Citizen Involvement

We believe all members of our community are responsible for public safety. We strive to

educate our community about our capabilities and limitations, while empowering them to

have a voice in public safety solutions. It is a community expectation that we hold people

accountable for their criminal behavior.

Leadership

We believe in a situational leadership model that is flexible and responsive. The focus is

on employee engagement, balancing task and relationship needs, that provides structured

leadership behaviors that are supportive to employees. We view all our employees as

leaders.

Employee

We believe that each employee offers a valuable contribution to our department. We also

recognize that it is the diversity of our workforce that provides the foundation for suc-

cess. It is the goal of the department to empower all employees to carry out the mission of

the Madison Police Department.

With quality officers, extensive resources, and a supportive environment, problem-solv-

ing initiatives must be continuously reinforced in order to sustain a problem-oriented ap-

proach to policing. Reinforcements include daily discussions; facilitating necessary re-

sources (staff, equipment, time); individual and team recognition; awards; additional


14

training; promotional processes that value problem-oriented policing; and other efforts

aimed at providing ongoing attention to problem-solving initiatives. As problem solving

has become more the rule than the exception within the MPD under Wray’s leadership,

many of the reinforcement methods cited above have been established. Yet reinforcement

is the area in which the MPD struggles most to further institutionalize problem-solving

approaches to policing. And of the essential elements identified in this discussion, contin-

uous reinforcement is the area in which strong leadership plays the most important role.

For this reason, quality leadership must be cultivated at every level in the organization

and those in top management positions must make every effort to not just lead the way,

but to follow the lead of those they supervise when appropriate.

Looking Ahead: Leadership and the Future of Problem-Ori-

ented Policing in the Madison Police Department “Madison is one of the few communities I've worked in where there is still a sense that if

there's a problem you can actually solve it.” (MPD Chief Noble Wray, quoted in Comp,

2006).

Chief Couper has long been credited for transforming the Madison Police Department

from a traditional, call-driven operating philosophy to one that incorporates community-

oriented policing. While a problem-oriented approach was certainly included in Couper’s

vision of community policing, the chief who has thus far made the most progress toward

institutionalizing problem-oriented policing in the Madison Police Department was Chief

Wray. Since Wray was hired as chief of police in 2004, the Department has created an in-

ternal Problem Solving Committee to determine the next steps to further instill a prob-

lem-oriented approach. Under Wray’s leadership, MPD has established an annual Prob-

lem Solving Award; hosted two international problem-oriented policing conferences;

submitted several problem-solving initiatives for the Herman Goldstein Awards; added

problem solving as a standing agenda item to Operation Team meetings; created prob-

lem-solving call-type codes in the CAD system to assist officers in documenting their

problem-solving efforts; required all Neighborhood Officers to conduct annual assess-

ments of their neighborhoods using the SARA model; hired three crime analysts to help

identify trends and aid in problem analysis; outfitted all district stations with a full collec-

tion of Problem-Oriented Guides for Police; and completed numerous problem-solving

initiatives, several of which were mentioned earlier. All of these measures provide rein-

forcements necessary to sustain problem-oriented policing and to further solidify an inter-

nal environment that values a problem-solving approach.

The Madison Police Department is an agency fully committed to community-oriented po-

licing and a problem-solving approach, yet the Department has not yet realized its full

potential. History has demonstrated the importance of strong leadership to effect organi-

zational change, build trust, and cultivate a problem-solving mindset regardless of rank or

assignment. Echoing Couper’s undertaking to train the entire department in Quality Lead-

ership, Wray made a commitment to provide all members of the Madison Police Depart-

ment with leadership training based on the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s

Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) approach beginning in 2012. A hallmark of

LPO is its focus on developing leaders at every level in the organization. Wray discussed

the importance of this concept at district in-service trainings and as part of his twice-a-


15

year addresses to the department. His message was simple and in many ways reveals the

influence that Couper had in shaping Wray’s vision. His message was this: Everyone in

the department is responsible for quality leadership, and trust – both internal and external

– is the essence of community-oriented policing. Without the nurturing bed of trust, prob-

lem-oriented policing cannot grow and thrive.

Not since the Couper-led Quality Leadership training back in the 1980s has a department-

wide initiative such as LPO been organized and implemented. And nowhere is Wray’s

commitment to cultivating leadership at all levels of the department – including civilian

employees – more evident than in his efforts to achieve this enormous undertaking. LPO

training—a three-week course—has been ongoing since 2010 to keep pace with new

hires and promotions. Wray recognized that leadership throughout the organization was

necessary in order to integrate and truly institutionalize community policing and prob-

lem-oriented policing practices within the Department. LPO training for all personnel,

problem-oriented policing instruction throughout the pre-service academy, and systems

that reinforce and reward problem-solving initiatives are all ways in which Wray worked

to build a problem-solving infrastructure.

As the LPO training is completed in 2013, Wray began looking at ways to transform a

leadership philosophy into a tangible practice – walking the talk, as it were. It is not

enough to simply have the discussion about the importance of leadership or the essence

of followership. Wray understood that unless leaders within the department make the

connection between theory and practice, the ideas posited through LPO training will fade,

efforts to further cultivate department-wide leadership will falter, and internal trust gaps

will be widened rather than narrowed. Ultimately, without a commitment to reinforcing

an environment that encourages individual and collective leadership throughout the or-

ganization, a problem-oriented approach to policing cannot take root and flourish as the

expected routine practice rather than the occasional special initiative.


16

References

Comp, Nathan (2006). “Noble Wray, The Cop at the Top.” Isthmus. October 27.

Couper, David C. and Sabine H. Lobitz (1991). Quality Policing: The Madison Experience.

Washington, D.C.: Police Executive Research Forum.

Couper, David C. (1973-1991). Madison Police Department Newsletters.

Goldstein, Herman (1990). Problem-Oriented Policing. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Goldstein, Herman (1979). “Improving Policing: A Problem-Oriented Approach.” Crime & De-

linquency (April) 25(2): 236-258.

Masterson, Michael (1988). "The Value of Using Research Methods to Evaluate Organizational

Performance: A Case Study of the Madison, Wisconsin Police Department.” Planning Report for

the Experimental Police District.

Scott, Michael S., and Herman Goldstein (1988). Key Elements of Problem-Oriented Policing.

Unpublished training document.

Wray, Noble (2011). Interview by author of Chief Noble Wray.

Wray, Noble (2004). Values of Trust-Based Policing. Madison Police Department official docu-

ment.

Wycoff, Mary Ann, and Wesley G. Skogan (1993). Community Policing in Madison: Quality

From the Inside Out. An Evaluation of Implementation and Impact. Washington, D.C.: National

Institute of Justice.

Cite as: Roman, K. (2013) “The Role of Leadership in Creating and Sustaining a

Problem-Solving Approach to Policing: The History of Organizational Transformation in

the Madison Police Department.” A paper of the BJA Executive Session on Police Lead-

ership. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice; and

St. Petersburg, FL: Center for Public Safety Innovation, St. Petersburg College.

3/17/2016

http://bjaleader.org

This paper was developed by the “Problem Solving Organization” initiative of the BJA

Executive Session on Police Leadership The initiative was led by principals of the Execu-

tive Session: Mike Scott (University of Wisconsin Law School) (Initiative Leader), Mal-

colm Sparrow (Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government).

The author is Lt. Kristen Roman, Madison Police Department, Madison, Wisconsin.

http://bjaleader.org/


17

This project was supported by Grant #2009-D2-BX-K003 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance,

U.S. Department of Justice, to St. Petersburg College. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of

the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of

Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the SMART Office, and the Office for

Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent

the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Recipient acknowledges that the Office of Justice Programs reserves a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and

irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and authorize others to use (in whole or in part,

including in connection with derivative works), for Federal purposes: (1) the copyright in any work devel-

oped under an award or subaward; and (2) any rights of copyright to which a recipient or subrecipient pur-

chases ownership with Federal support. Recipient acknowledges that the Office of Justice Programs has the

right to (1) obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data first produced under an award or subaward;

and (2) authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purposes. It is

the responsibility of the recipient (and of each subrecipient, if applicable) to ensure that this condition is

included in any subaward under this award.”

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